Well I think the placements here were a foregone conclusion. Now even if the Gers have a bad long they won't drop to 3rd here and not make the final. The only thing to keep an eye for is D/D score in the long.

Well I think the placements here were a foregone conclusion. Now even if the Gers have a bad long they won't drop to 3rd here and not make the final. The only thing to keep an eye for is D/D score in the long.

I just did the calculations. In order to make the GPF, provided neither M&T nor S&S melt down in the long, Dubé and Davison must score at least 115.82.

Yes D/D can make the final with a 3rd here but they would have to outscore Z/Z,s total. Which after that short is looking less likely! D/D look like they are headed the same way as last year when they came out ok at the 1st of the season and then started dropping off instead of building their way upward. Too bad I was really hoping they would only improve this year as the year went on.

That is a pretty harsh assessment, after only their second event of the season?

They weren't so hot on the grand prix last seaon, anyway, it was really just at Canadian Nats that they stepped it up (only to step back down again for the rest of the season, as you said...)

A rather predictable Pairs SP today. I don't like S/S's outrageous makeup either, but the rest was good. I figured they would get a 74 for a clean program since S/Z scored that last week. I think I prefer S/Z's SP when they both skate clean.

I thought Mukhortova/Trankov's score was crazy high considering they clearly weren't as good as they were at TEB (and they had the hands down on the throw). But I guess it makes sense since they are still almost 10 points out of 1st!

Dube and Davison looked pretty off today. If they skate decently in the LP, they should stay in 3rd, but they really are going to have to perform better than they did today if they want enough points to get into the GPF.

Firebird is overused this season, but I think that music really suits Denney and Barrett. There's a strangeness to the music that somehow fits with the slight awkwardness of D/B. Despite the mistakes on the SBS jumps, they had good attack throughout the program. (Her lift position totally distracts me though).

I don't think S/S's make-up is outrageous at all - it's Pierrot style clown make-up, delicate, and while maybe a little bit of an over-literal idea to use it skating "Send in the Clowns", I think it works. The music is a bit poignant and the make-up style is as well. I think it also suits her gamine skating personality and face. Not every pairs team can pull it off - when G&G skated to Pagliacci as pros using clown make-up, I thought it didn't suit them. In S/S's case it helps make the program.

I don't think S/S's make-up is outrageous at all - it's Pierrot style clown make-up, delicate, and while maybe a little bit of an over-literal idea to use it skating "Send in the Clowns", I think it works. The music is a bit poignant and the make-up style is as well. I think it also suits her gamine skating personality and face. Not every pairs team can pull it off - when G&G skated to Pagliacci as pros using clown make-up, I thought it didn't suit them. In S/S's case it helps make the program.

No youtube up yet of the sp in Skate Canada. I just rewatched S/S's sp at TEB and just noticed that at the very end of the sp, the piano music changes from "Send in the Clowns" to a few quiet notes of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Baily theme - perfect. (I think of it as the Ringling Bros. circus theme - it's the music that comes along with "Step right up!")

I don't think S/S's make-up is outrageous at all - it's Pierrot style clown make-up, delicate, and while maybe a little bit of an over-literal idea to use it skating "Send in the Clowns", I think it works. The music is a bit poignant and the make-up style is as well. I think it also suits her gamine skating personality and face. Not every pairs team can pull it off - when G&G skated to Pagliacci as pros using clown make-up, I thought it didn't suit them. In S/S's case it helps make the program.

everyone knows the song is not about clowns, just because the song's name is "clowns", they dont have to dress like clowns, thats a bit shallow. so do you expect them paint black when they skate to out of africa? . there is a "africa" in the song name,,,they might be...

everyone knows the song is not about clowns, just because the song's name is "clowns", they dont have to dress like clowns, thats a bit shallow. so do you expect them paint black when they skate to out of africa? . there is a "africa" in the song name,,,they might be...

Right, that could be a pitfall. But at the same time, it doesn't matter what the song is about - they are skating to the melody, not the lyrics.

It so happens that the melody is light, sad, wistful, poignant, sweet, and that suits the classic French clown costume/make-up choice, as well as the characterization/relationship they're portraying on the ice. Yeah the song is called Send in the Clowns and they're not doing the story of "Little Night Music" where the song is from, or "Smiles of a Summer Night" where the musical is from. So what? It's kind of cute that they are taking the "clown" word as their interpretative jumping off point.

It also suits the characteristics and physical appearance of the skaters - Aliona looks like a little gamine, Robin is strong, gentle and steady - like I said, for me it's a poignant little movie story they're telling - sort of Chaplinesque, Fellini-esque

Where are the people saying Shen/Zhao were overscored after the SP in SA?
compared to S/Z,,,, SS's SP in this event is really overscored,,,,,,,the jump, the spin........... and they lost speed at the second half of the program,,,especially the footwork....

Savchenko seems unhappy with the score.............. dunno what they expect........80?

they didn't skate as good as they did in TEB, especially the technical elements.. they look a bit stressed.......they should be happy about this score,,,,it would be much lower if the judges dont protect them too much

but SS are always SP experts, so LP is apparently more important to them.
Hope they do well,,, and make the final!

I really dont like the costumes, a bit over the top.....did savchenko design it by herself again?

DD's score surprised me a bit,,,,,I like their program more than MT's,,,they should get more PCS,,but I feel like what happened last year will happen again,,,,115 is not too high but not too low for them, the chance is still in their hands
good luck.